Author: Mihir Mehta

In a 3D machine vision system, the target object image is no longer just a flat picture. Now it’s a three-dimensional point cloud of precise coordinates where the position of every pixel in space is known. It simultaneously provides X, Y and Z plane data along with respective rotational information (around each of the axes) as well.

This 3^rd dimension of Data is ideal for applications such as:

• Thickness, height and volume measurement
• Dimensioning and space management
• Measuring shapes, holes, angles, and curves
• Detection of surface or assembly defects
• Quality control and verification against 3D CAD models
• Robot guidance and surface tracking (e.g., for welding, gluing, deburring, and more)
• Bin picking for placing, packing or assembly
• Object scanning and digitization

3D machine vision

What is hyperspectral machine vision ?

Before launching into this topic, let’s get comfortable with a few terms:

Hyperspectral: 1) Any technique that employs a large part of the electromagnetic spectrum, especially those parts of the spectrum invisible to the eye; 2) Very high-definition spectral imaging.

Machine vision (also known as Computer Vision): The technology and methods used to provide imaging-based automatic inspection and analysis for such applications as automatic inspection, process control and robot guidance, usually in industry. Machine vision refers to many technologies, software and hardware products, integrated systems, actions, methods and expertise. It attempts to integrate existing technologies in new ways and apply them to solve real-world problems.

Hyperspectral machine vision systems analyze the molecular properties of objects being investigated and create a chemical fingerprint of the materials that comprise them.

What are some real-world problems that hyperspectral machine vision helps solve?

Though there are multiple industrial applications of hyperspectral machine vision, today we are going to focus on three that are promoted by a key Integrys supplier, Perception Park, an Austrian company passionate about hyperspectral machine vision.

1) Chemical color imaging (CCI) for pharmaceuticals: In the pharmaceutical industry manufacturing capacities are growing rapidly all over the world, requiring faster and more complex production processes. To reduce the risk of product recalls and to protect consumers from contaminated drugs, strict safety regulations and guidelines have been put in place to optimize and monitor pharmaceutical production processes. Inspection systems are fundamental to this. Vision systems are already state of the art with respect to evaluating products according to shape, size, weight etc. in real time. CCI now enables a 100% inspection of pharmaceuticals according to molecular properties.

The image above illustrates how Perception Park CCI technology can be applied to pharmaceuticals, in this case detecting the content of different capsules. Hospitals and retirement and nursing homes administer personalized drugs that are often manually mixed and packed by pharmacists. The first and the third (from the left) of the four capsules above were filled with Respicure, the second was filled with Silybum Marianum and the fourth was filled with nothing. CCI allows for quick identification of the content of capsules, ensuring the patients receive the right drugs—which can be a matter of life and death.

2) Wood moisture measurement: The quality requirements of wood industry customers are increasing dramatically. The measurement of humidity is an important quality marker in professional wood processing. Hyperspectral imaging can now be used to quickly and accurately indicate moisture content (MC) in wood, a major indicator of product quality and hence price and producer margins. In the example below the moisture levels of a piece of spruce were measured using hyperspectral technology and a regular wood moisture meter. The portion of the wood on the left captured with CCI clearly shows the distribution of moisture within the wood, helping in a non-destructive manner quickly determine the quality and thus value of the wood.

3) Fruit quality measurement: Every year tons of food is wasted, compromising the bottom line of companies in many sectors of the food industry. Purchasers of food, be they grocery sotres, restaurants or the end consumer, can be fanatical about food quality and are loath to purchase fruit, for example, that is bruised. Bruises are an indicator that the fruit is in the process of decay, but are often not visible to the naked eye. With hyperspectral imaging, however, it is possible to make the invisible visible with a non-destructive technique for fruit quality analysis.

As Computer Vision using Hyperspectral imaging is relatively new to many, Integrys has invested in setting up a Hyperspectral imaging station in their engineering laboratory.  We would like to offer qualified customers an opportunity to review samples of their materials/parts in our lab and consult with our team of experts on application details.

Click Below to begin evaluating your samples in our Hyperspectral Imaging lab

FREE OFFER

Perception Park is a company with a passion for Hyperspectral Imaging and the focus on generic and configurable hyperspectral data processing solutions for industrial inline applications. Their unique technology Chemical Colour Imaging (CCI) makes complex hyperspectral data on a molecular level usable for machine vision. Hyperspectral imaging systems combined generic, intuitive configurable data processing platform to make the scientific methods of hyperspectral analysis accessible for everyone and open up new application areas.

Resonon is a rapidly-growing, high-technology company that provides an exciting and friendly working environment. The company designs, manufactures, and supports hyperspectral imagers and related hardware and software. They provide complete hyperspectral imaging systems as well as custom hardware and software solutions with compact, cost effective cameras.

Machine vision technology has gone through a constant development process over the past few decades and Perception Park, with its expertise in chemical color imaging, has developed an impressive range of solutions in hyperspectral machine vision with myriad real-world applications. Click here to contact Integrys to learn how our partnerships with Perception Park and Resonon could help your company optimize its operations through hyperspectral machine vision.

The military and aerospace industry is remarkably dynamic, generating an extraordinary range of innovative new technologies and products that serve military and aerospace applications and, often with some modification, civilian/commercial applications as well. Many technologies that we now take for granted in our daily lives, such as the Internet, had military and aerospace origins.

Integrys has several key suppliers in the military and aerospace industry—companies that are continually developing new products that greatly enhance operations. These products run the gamut from communications hardware for rugged environments such as switches, routers, hubs and I/O boards to interface cards, software and surveillance cameras. Today, we highlight several Integrys suppliers in this sector and some of their new offerings.

TECHAYA is a leading designer, developer and manufacturer of rugged MIL-STD IP-based communications solutions for ground, air and naval applications. Their complete line of ethernet switches, routers, USB hubs and media converters/network taps are designed from PCB to meet the extreme environmental, quality and SWAP-C requirements for dismounted soldiers, both large and small unmanned systems, fixed and rotary aircraft, AFVs, missiles and naval vessel communication platforms.

Featured product: MILTECH 9116, managed 12X 10G copper + 4 X 10G fiber ports switch

The MILTECH 9116 is widely used in battlefield communications C4ISR, video, sensor data acquisition and transmission. Its mechanical packaging enhancements, including ruggedized D38999 connectors, are designed for MIL-STD-810F airborne and ground environmental compliance and high reliability. Leveraging best-in-class switching technology from Techaya, the MILTECH 9116 serves as a robust commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution for rugged LAN connectivity. It can be remotely managed to optimize communications and prioritize critical information traffic. Advanced network features, never before found in a package of this size, include switching protocols, virtual LANS (VLANS), traffic prioritization (QoS), and bandwidth aggregation are standard.

NAI’s vertically integrated design, manufacturing and verification capabilities have been built with the intense focus of an organization that defines every action and investment based on their ability to Accelerate Your Time-to-Mission™. Offering a portfolio of rugged embedded COTS products, including over 70 pre-integrated modules, multifunction I/O boards, single board computers (SBCs), systems, and power supplies, NAI has built a reputation for supporting the world’s most demanding defense, commercial aerospace and industrial applications.

Featured product: 68PW1, 3U OpenVPX SOSA™-aligned PWM servo motor drive

The 68PW1 is a 3U OpenVPX SOSA-aligned (basis, Snapshot 2) single-axis PWM servo motor drive that can be configured with closed loop feedback measurement options, including Hall, Resolver/Synchro or Encoder. The PWM drive provides programmable PWM output drive (up to 65 V @ 10 A continuous) from a single +28 VDC input source. Ideally suited for rugged military and aerospace applications, the 68PW1 delivers off-the-shelf solutions that accelerate deployment of SWaP-optimized systems in air, land and sea applications.

Alta Data Technologies is the technical leader in avionics interface cards and software. It is dedicated to providing the best possible MIL-STD-1553 and ARINC-429/717 COTS communications products and service in the aerospace industry. From a full line of PCI, PCI Express (PCIe) interface cards for almost any computer backplane, to their innovative real-time ethernet connectivity devices, Alta brings innovative design and best in class service for MIL-STD-1553 and ARINC customers.

In October 2020 Aerospace & Defense Review recognized Alta as a top ten provider in the industry for the year.

Featured product: MIL-STD-1553 “NLINE” product

In October 2020 Alta also announced the development of a new family of products: NLINE, innovative packaging techniques that embed industry leading MIL-STD-1553 protocol engine technology directly into cable assemblies for real-time ethernet, Thunderbolt™ and USB 3 interfaces. Combined with their AltaAPI software development kit (SDK), and advanced signal capture o-scope capabilities, these products offer unmatched functionality and ease of deployment for aerospace platforms. The NLINE product family provides incredible system design choices for Alta—and Integrys—customers

CohuHD Costar is an industry-leading manufacturer of high-definition video systems designed for the performance requirements of critical infrastructure installations.

CohuHD has significant installations worldwide, protecting a variety of critical infrastructure facilities, including:

• Transportation: Tunnels, bridges, roadways, mass transit, rail, airports and terminals
• Water: Reservoirs, dams, pipelines, aqueducts
• Power: Refineries, oil depot reserves, generators, plants, electrical substations, power grid transmission lines
• Homeland Security: Borders, airports, seaports and other ports of entry
• Military: Vehicles, perimeter surveillance, bomb scoring, targeting systems, military compounds
• Government: Embassies, buildings, national treasures

Featured product: RISE 4260HD camera positioner system

CohuHD Costar’s 4260HD camera positioner system combines crystal clear HD image quality, bandwidth efficient H.264 compression, smooth variable speed positioning and IP66/IP67 protection delivering CohuHD quality and performance.

The 4260HD provides full 1080p imaging with 30x optical zoom, delivering full frame rate HD images over the entire zoom range for very cost-effective, long-range surveillance applications.

The 4260HD includes defog/dehaze image processing, enhancing video performance in foggy and hazy conditions encountered in surveillance and naval applications. It also includes variable hi-speed pan and tilt drive, with 360° continuous pan and +90 to -90° tilt. Fast positioning speeds result in 180° movements in less than 2.5 seconds. The high-torque motor and gearing design ensures that the positioner maintains position in high shock, vibration and hurricane force winds.

Providing multiple video stream profiles, the 4260HD delivers up to five or more independently configured H.264/MJPEG streams as well as analog video output with serial RS422 camera PTZ control. Use of the IP and analog output allows integrating with analog systems today while providing a smooth transition to HD Video over IP tomorrow. The 4260HD provides a full function web server, allowing complete administrative and operator control capabilities. It is designed to operate in harsh weather with its IP67 enclosure protection.

Contact

To learn more about Techaya, North Atlantic Industries, Alta Data Technologies and CohuHD Costar—and their innovative products—click here. We look forward to speaking with you.

NORTH ATLANTIC 3U OPENVPX SENSOR

Configure with up to 18 I/O and Communication Function Modules

• is lightweight, small and has a low power consumption, making it ideal for UAV, aircraft, and ground vehicle applications.
• processors come in a choice of Freescale PowerPC™ QorIQ® T2080, Intel® Core™ i7, or ARM® Cortex®-A9 & -A53.
• eliminate man-months of integration with a configured, field-proven, 3U OpenVPX rugged COTS system or subsystem complete with rich IO, Processing and Switching.

North Atlantic 3u OpenVPX Sensor

JAI launched the industry’s first 8K prism line scan models 

The SW-8000T-10GE and SW-8000T-SFP provide 8K (8192 pixel) resolution, high performance 10 GigE and SFP+ interfaces, plus the high quality R/G/B color precision that helps prism line scan cameras outperform their trilinear counterparts when it comes to belt sorting, free-fall applications, or any web-based application where there are vibrations, speed variations, or other movements that plague the compensation methods of trilinear cameras.